ザグレブの短い春 Short Spring in Zagreb

 前回記事をアップしてから、かなりの時間が経ってしまいました(^ ^;)

しばらく記事をアップしていない間にビザの更新、お引越しといろいろなイベントがあったので、これから少しずつ記事をアップします！

3月末から4月中旬まで、久しぶりに日本に一時帰国しました。

日本に出発する直前にはザグレブで雪が降っていたのに、ザグレブに戻ってみるとザグレブ市内の桜はもう葉桜になっていましたΣ(･ω･ﾉ)ﾉ 今では市内の桜は大分散ってしまって、日中は初夏の陽気。一気に春がザグレブを駆け抜けていったようです。

ザグレブの春は本当に短くて、冬の次はすぐ夏になるんだよ！と周りのザグレブの友達が言っていたのを思い出しました。

温かくなってくると、ザグレブではカフェのテラス席でまったり時間を過ごす人が増えてきます。春の訪れと一緒に、急にザグレブも活気づいた感じ。そんなザグレブの街を散策しているだけで、私もなんだか心がウキウキしてしまうo(^-^)oやっぱり春～夏のザグレブが一番好きだな。

It has been a looooong time since I wrote a blog last time.

So many things had happened in the last few months. I renewed my temporary residence visa in Croatia and I moved to new apartment. I really want to share information about visa extension and change of address in Croatia, so I will write about them later bit by bit.

From the end of this March to the mid-April, I went back to Japan to see my family and friends (I will about this later, too!).

Although it snowed in Zagreb just before I left to Japan, the spring had already come to Zagreb while I was not here and many cherry blossoms in the city had already fallen by the time I returned to Zagreb.

I remembered my husband and my Zagreb friends told me that Zagreb has very short spring, almost none, so it's like after the winter, the summer arrives. In fact, it's getting very hot in Zagreb during the day, and most of people on the street dress in summer clothes already.

When the temperature gets higher, I see more and more people enjoy sunny days at  terraces of cafes and that makes Zagreb very lively again after a long and cold winter.

久しぶりの再会 Reunion With My Old Friend from Australia!

オーストリアの友達がザグレブまで遊びに来てくれてから1週間後、今度はオーストラリア・メルボルン大学大学院に留学していた時の友達が、旅仲間と一緒に遊びに来てくれました。お互いに違う分野を専攻していたのだけれど、少ない日本人留学生同士とっても仲良くしてもらっていました。

みんな1週間でザグレブ、プリトヴィッツェ、スプリットとドブロブニクを駆け足で周るスケジュール。そんなタイトなスケジュールの中、ザグレブを一緒に回ったりカフェやレストランでおしゃべりできたのは楽しかった♪

A week after my Austrian friend had visited me, my Japanese friend, whom I met when I studied at Melbourne University in Australia, visited me in Zagreb with her friends. We majored in different subjects, but we were one of small number of Japanese students there and we became good friends.

All of them planned to visit Zagreb, Plitvice Lakes,  Split and Dubrovnik in one week. But I was very happy to share some time with them in Zagreb walking around the city and chatting at cafes :)



実は彼女とは日本に戻ってしばらくして連絡が取れなくなっていたんですが、Facebookで彼女を発見！Facebookのおかげで5年ぶりにまたこうして会っておしゃべりすることができました☆

Soon after we both went back to Japan after finishing the university, we actually lost contact. But, I found her on Facebook and contacted her for the first time in 5 years! Thanks to Facebook, we could see each other again and have a very fun time together here in Zagreb :)




オーストリアの友達と一緒にプリトヴィッツェに行った一週間後、再びプリトヴィッツェです（笑）写真は「あれ、ここ通ったっけ???」と相談しているところです。

Again we went to Plitvice a week after I took my Austrian friend there :D I becoming a frequent visitor there... The photo was us discussing if we got lost or if we missed a "proper route" to get to the sites shown on their guidebook.





この時は一週間前と比べてかなり水量が減っていました。そのせいか、みんな「あれ、なんだか写真と違う・・・?!　もうちょっと滝があるはずなんだけれど…」と混乱していた様子。確かに右の写真を見てみるとちょっと寂しい感じ。日本のガイドブックは一番いい時期の一番いい写真を載せてるんじゃないかなぁ?　(^ ^;) とは言うものの、そういう自分も日本のガイドブック見るのは大好きです。

When I took my friends to Plitvice, the volume of water was quite low compared to a week ago. So, everyone was a bit confused and disappointed because they expected to see exactly the same view as shown on their guidebooks. Well, in fact, Japanese guidebooks are full of pictures (unlike Lonely Planet travel guides) and you may call them spoiler. So, Japanese tourists know how places, sites and buildings look like the best and they expect to see the same :S To be fair, I do enjoy seeing the beautiful pictures and I do love to read Japanese guidebooks (which make me feel as if I have been there), but because I have too many information before I actually visit, I feel less impressed, I think :S

9月の中旬でもまだまだたくさんの観光客がプリトヴィッツェを楽しんでいました。右は大滝の前にある岩の上に乗って取った写真。人がぜんぜんいないように見えますが、この岩の上に上るのにも順番待ちでした。順番と言っても、先に上ったもの勝ちっていう感じでしたけど…(^ ^;) 順番を待っていたらずっと岩の上には登れそうにもないので、岩の近くで待機→隙を見て上ってください。

Even in the middle of September, still many tourists enjoy Plitvice lakes. The right photo was taken in front of the Big Waterfall. It looks as if there were no one, but there were many people under this big rock in front of the Big Waterfall waiting for their turn to be on the top of the rock! We Japanese tend to be shy to cut into the queue and wait for their turn in patience. But, that rule only apply for Japanese and others don't follow it there, so I told my friends to just wait near the rock and climb up faster when they found a chance to do that :P I feel like I'm becoming "un-Japanese" :P

正しいチョコレートの食べ方?! How to Enjoy Chocolate

ウィーンの友達がくれたチョコレートたちY　

オーストリアのチョコレートメーカーZotterの左からチョコレートバー、アソートメントと飲むチョコレート。このチョコレートメーカー、実はお土産でもらうまで知らなかったのですが、フェアトレードかつオーガニックなカカオを使っているそうです。人工香料、甘味料、着色料、その他化学物質を一切使わないという徹底ぶり。日本にも進出しているみたいです（ウェブサイトはこちら）。ウィーンの友達に、Zotterのチョコレートはとっても創造的で素晴らしいから、オーストリアに来たらぜひお店に寄ってみて！と言われました。パッケージもキッチュでかわいいY　

アソートメントの中にあった、胡麻のチョコレートが妙に日本っぽい和風な味でびっくり！パッケージもかわいいし、味もおいしいのでオーストリアのおしゃれなお土産としてぴったり。


They are chocolate my Austrian friend gave me :) I didn't know this Austrian chocolate maker called Zotter until he gave me, but it seems like it is well known brand. I checked their website (here) and found out that they use only fair trade and organic cacaos. Also, their chocolate does not contain any artificial flavor, colouring and other chemicals. They also make chocolate for vegans.

My Austrian friend told me that Zotter makes very creative chocolate and I should visit their shop when I visit Austrlia. I also really like their packaging with kitsch and cute illustrationsY

Anyway, they are chocolate bars, chocolate assortment and drinking chocolate from left to right in the photo.　There were two small chocolates with sesame in the assortment and they tasted like something Japanese! And other chocolates were also very tasty (and healthy, I guess). Zotter's chocolates are good idea for souvenir of Austria, I think :)

Zotterのチョコレートバーの中に入っていたメッセージがとってもユニーク！

ドイツ語はまったく分からないので、旦那の適当な翻訳ですが、メッセージカードには「チョコレートを食べないで！でもチョコレートを楽しんで」と書いてあります。

I found a very nice message card inside the package of Zotter chocolate bar.

I've never studied German and I don't understand what it says, but according to my husband, who knows a bit of German language, the message card says "CAUTION: Don't eat chocolate, but enjoy it!".

メッセージの裏側にはさらに詳しい説明が・・・。

要約すると、「チョコレートのひとかけらを舌と口の天井の間に挟んで、ゆっくり溶かしながらチョコレートを楽しんでください。そうすることでカカオのすばらしい香りを堪能することができます。呼吸を深く吸って、チョコレートのアロマを楽しんでください。」

この説明書き通りに試しにチョコレートを楽しんでみることに・・・。しばらく旦那も私もしばらく無口になりましたが(^ ^;) とっても優雅な時間に浸れたような気分になりました。しかも満足感もばっちり！これから食欲の秋、といってもザグレブは秋を通り越して冬のような寒さですが、食べ過ぎ抑制にもなりそうなので、しばらくこの食べ方でチョコレートを堪能することにします。

There was a detailed explanation how to "enjoy" chocolate on the back of the massage card.

In sum, it says "Hold a piece of chocolate between your tongue and upper palate of your mouth, and slowly melt it with your tongue and enjoy wonderful smell of chocolate. Breath deeply and enjoy aromas of chocolate".

My husband and I tried to enjoy the chocolate according to their way to eat chocolate. For a while both of us were silent because our mouths were busy with melting the chocolate, but we felt like we had elegant and sophisticated time :) And in fact, were were filled with feeling of satisfaction even with small amount of chocolate. It was a nice finding!

ノスタルジー Nostalgie

先月、ウィーンに住むオーストリア人の友達がザグレブの我が家まで遊びに来てくれました。しかもウィーンからザグレブまで自転車で…!!!ウィーン‐ザグレブ間は約350Km。2日かけてザグレブまでやってきてくれて、旦那も私もものすごくびっくり＆とてもうれしかった(*ﾟｰﾟ*)　

さっそく梅酒をあけて乾杯♪そして旦那と友達はなぜか（？）懐かしのファミコン、スーパーマリオを夢中になって夜中まで遊んでました。クロアチア（その当時はユーゴスラビア）にもファミコンがあったんだ！とちょっとびっくり。「子供の時はもっと上手だったのに、おかしい…」と言いながら子供時代に戻ったように遊んでいる二人が微笑ましい。

My friend who lives in Vienna visited me in Zagreb last month. Surprisingly, he travelled 350km from Vienna to Zagreb by his bicycle!!! We, me and my husband, were both surprised and when I heard that he planed to travel to Zagreb by bicycle, we thought he was joking. But, he succeeded his trip and got to our home safely and we were very happy to welcome him at our apartment :)

To welcome our friend from Vienna, we opened a bottle of umeshu (Japanese plum wine, or plum rakija). Then, my husband and my friend played Super Mario with old antique Family Computer or "Famicon" til midnight :D My husband said he was much better when he was a child, but now, both of them have trouble with cleaning stages! They seemed like they went back to their childhood and enjoyed it a lot.

2日目はカルロヴァッツとプリトヴィッツェへ友達を案内しました。ザグレブ周辺、日帰りで行ける場所となると、意外に限られてしまうのが残念。でもカルロヴァッツの戦争博物館もプリトヴィッツェもそれなりに楽しんでくれたみたい。

On his second day in Zagreb, we took him to Karlovac and Plitvice. The day trip destinations are pretty much limited from Zagreb. But it seemed like my friend enjoyed both War Museum in Karlovac and Plitvice.






この日は9月のはじめにも関わらず、雨が降るか、降らないか、というくらい天気が悪くて肌寒かった(>_<) でも、アウトドアが好きな友達には好評でした♪ちなみに、4月、6月に来たときに通行止めになっていた小滝(Mali Slap)への道は未だに閉鎖されたままでした。いつになったら再開するのかなぁ・・・。

Even in the beginning of September, it was very cold in Plitvice, especially because we had a bad weather that day. Still, we enjoyed the beautiful lakes and very fresh and clean air, which was really really great. By the way, a passage to the small waterfall (Mali Slap) was still closed since I visited there last April and June. I have no idea when the passage will be opened again.









遠くまで遊びに来てくれてありがとう！次はウィーンで会えるといいな。ウィーンまではザグレブから車で約4時間半で、スプリットに行くよりもちょっとだけ近いんだけれど、なかなかウィーンに行く機会がないから、いい理由付になるかも?!

Anyway, thank you for visiting me my friend! I wish we will see each other again, maybe in Vienna next time ;)　 Actually, Vienna is a bit closer to Zagreb than Split, but we didn't have a chance to visit there, but now we have a good excuse to visit Vienna :)

自転車デビュー New Bicycle

自転車デビューと言っても私ではなく旦那ですが、我が家に新しい自転車がやってきました。家から旦那の会社までは歩いて45分。車で行っても渋滞にはまって無駄にガソリンを消費するだけなので、自転車を、とずっと話していましたが、ついに購入しましたv(｡･ω･｡)。

My husband bought a new bicycle so that he can ride it to the office. He always wanted to buy one, because it takes about 45 mins to the office by foot, and also, it could be save money and time. Even when he goes to the office by car, often he is caught by the traffic jam an wasting time and petrol.


現在、ザグレブではガソリン１Ｌ約11.30Kn (日本円にして約158円）。日本とほとんど変わらないと思います。でも、平均月収が約30万の日本に比べたら、平均月収が8万くらいのクロアチアでこの値段ははっきり言ってべらぼうに高いです。とはいうものも周りを見てもたくさんの車が走っているし、どうやってやりくりしているのか不思議なくらい。

そういうこともあって自転車の購入を決定しました。聞くところによると、経済不況、ガソリン価格の高騰の影響でここ3年、自転車に乗る人が急増したらしいです。

近くの自転車屋さん何件か回ってみた感想ですが、自転車の相場はディスカウント抜きで大体2000Kn～（2012年10月15日時点で1Kn = 約13.5円）。自転車屋さんには2000Kn以下で自転車を探すのは難しい、と言われました。

Currently, the petrol price in Zagreb is about 11.30Kn per litter. I think the price is almost the same as in Japan, or could be a bit more expensive than in Japan. Considering that Japanese average monthly income is about 3,000 euro (before taxed), this petrol price is extremely expensive to Zagreb people whose monthly income before tax is about 800 euro! But, still I see lots of cars on the roads. I seriously want to ask how they manage their finances...

Anyway, my husband's coworker told us that more and more people start riding bicycles because of economic crisis and high price of petrol.

When I visited some bicycle shops, I found bicycles are very expensive here. It's very hard to find a bicycle below 1,500Kn. We didn't want to buy too expensive bicycle in case someone steel it :S

自転車の価格もここ3年でかなり跳ね上がったそうです。その影響もあってか、ここザグレブでは自転車の盗難事故が多発しています。たぶん他のヨーロッパ諸国も同じような感じかな。写真はパリで見つけた無残な姿の自転車・・・。聞いた話だと、自転車本体と写真をロックしてちょっとATMによって目を離した2，3分の間に自転車が盗まれた、ということもあるそうです。自転車が盗まれても警察はあまり動いてくれないらしく、自己防衛をしっかりするほかないのだとか。そういう話を聞くと、日本って安全な国だな、と感じます。そんなわけで、我が家も自転車は家の中に入れています。

I've heard that price of a bicycle is doubled or even more in the last 3 years here in Zagreb. It might increases the number of stolen bicycles in Zagreb. I think it is not only the problem in Zagreb, but all European countries share it, but bicycles thefts are very serious problem. I've even heard about a story that a person locked his bike between the main frame and wheel and went to ATM, and in a few minutes when he looked away, someone took his bicycle. The photo above is the bicycle I found in Paris.

So, to avoid our bicycle be stolen, we keep the new bicycle inside our apartment.

The situation is very different from Japan, well, at least from my town and around. There are of course bike thefts. But, most cases, a thief steel a bike which is not locked, and the purpose of steeling is not to sell it but to get a quick ride to his destination and then just leave the bike there. So, when a bicycle is stolen, we usually report it to a local police and they will find it in a month with high chances.

ちなみにザグレブの自転車事情を…。こちらではオランダやデンマークに比べたらまだまだ自転車専用道路の整備もしっかりされていない感じです。写真は歩道の隅に書かれた自転車道。う～ん、でも日本に比べたらちょことだけ進んでる感じなのかな?　クロアチア人は車の運転も荒いので、自転車で街を乗り回すときは要注意。方向指示器を出さないで曲がったり、曲がるのと同時に方向指示器を出す人が結構います(^ ^;) 

I think compared to Holland and Denmark or other European countries, Zagreb needs to improve the bicycle roads a bit more. Well, compared to Japan, Zagreb is better, because in my town and around, we don't have it yet (I think we still don't...). Anyway, when you ride a bicycle in Zagreb, watch cars around you carefully. I found out that many Croatian drivers turns without turning the indicator or turns the indicator the moment when they turn. Which actually surprised me because the driving habits are bit different from Japan.

モーレ、モーレ、アモーレ♪ More, More, Amore♪

8月中旬、まだまだ暑い日が続いて夏が終わる前にもう一回「アドリア海で泳ぎたい!!!」と思い立って、海を目指すことに・・・。今回はザグレブから車で２時間半で行けるイストラ半島のクルク島(Krk Island)のモーレに決定。「モーレ（More)」とはクロアチア語で「海」の意味。

I missed MORE (more, pronounced as mo-re, means "sea" in Croatian)!!! It was still very hot in the middle of August, and I really wanted to bath in the Adriatic Sea before the summer ends. So, we decided to drive to a beach at Krk Island of Istria (or Istra) peninsula, which is my husband's recommendation.

通常、クロアチアの観光シーズンのピークは７月初めから８月初めまでで、さすがに８月上旬にもなれば道も空いているだろう、と思ってたのですが甘かった・・・！まだまだクロアチアのモーレを目指して近隣諸国から車が大挙して押し寄せてきていました。写真はザグレブの高速入口。

Usually, the touristic season in Croatia reaches its peak from the beginning of July and the beginning of August. So, I thought the road should be empty compared to the holiday seasons. But, I was wrong. Even in the mid-August, still many people from Europe came to Croatia aiming at the More.

予想外にも道中、渋滞につかまりました。周りの車を見るとEUプレートの車ばかり。高速の８０％くらい、下手するとそれ以上がドイツやオーストリアなどなどクロアチア外の車じゃないかな、と思います。遠いところでは、イギリスのプレートを付けた車、フィンランドからのバイクなどを見かけました∑(･ω･ﾉ)ﾉヨーロッパじゃぁLCCもたくさんあって航空網も発達しているから飛行機で移動か、と思いきやまだまだ車で旅行する人がたくさん。ガソリン代考えたら飛行機の方が安いと思うんだけどなぁ・・・。その話を旦那にしたら、「車のほうが面白い場所を見つけたら寄っていけるし、車窓からの景色もきれいじゃない？」との返事。時間がない日本人の考え方とはちょっと違うみたい。

Unexpectedly, we were caught in traffic :S As you can see on the photo above, we are surrounded by cars from outside Croatia. European car plate states in which country the car is registered (the left blue part). I think, possibly about 80% or could be more of the cars on the road were non-Croatian. I also saw a few cars with British plate and a few bikes with Finnish plate! People do love to travel on roads in Europe. Personally, I think it would be much faster and cheaper to fly, because Europe has many low-cost carriers ad they do have relatively good connections between European countries and also because petrol price is very high. When I told about this to my husband, he answered to me like "but, if you travel by car, you can stop wherever you want when you find interesting places, and you can enjoy beautiful view from the window". For me, as a Japanese, I would like to save time and money (because our lifestyle is very tight with time), but it seems like people here have different opinion...

渋滞に巻き込まれながら、ザグレブから３時間ほど車を走らせてやってきたのはクルク島のバシュカ（Baška)。バシュカにはホテルや広大なキャンプ場があって、まだまだ観光客で賑わっていました。

After about 3 hours drive from Zagreb, we finally reached our final destination, Baška beach. Baška has long beach, about 2km, and it was full of people. There are several hotels and also a big camping spot, and I saw many camping cars there.




バシュカはクロアチアでも有名なリゾート地らしく、レストランやカフェ、お土産屋さんが充実していました。暑いので、道を歩く人も水着のままだったり、かなりリラックスした雰囲気。夜もものすごい人でにぎわっていました。

Baška is said to be one of the most popular resorts in Croatia. It seems like that Baška is well developed resort, as there are so many restaurants, cafes and souvenir shops! People are walking on the streets and beach in their swim wear and summer dress, and it has very relaxing atmosphere.


ちなみにクロアチア政府の発表によると、２０１２年１月から７月末までにクロアチアを訪れた外国人は４４０万人にも上るのだそう。クロアチアの人口が６４０万人なので、年間を通したらクロアチア人の人口に届きそうな勢い！

According to the Croatian Government, about 4.4 million people visited Croatia from January 2012 to the end of July! The Croatian population is about 6.5 million, so the number of the annual visitors to Croatia could reach the population in Croatia.

太陽に照らされてキラキラと光る水面。肌をじりじりと焼きつくような太陽の下では、この冷た～いアドリア海の水がとっても気持ちいい♬　水も透明感があってきれい。昔イタリア人の友達が「同じ海なのにクロアチア側の方がきれい」と言っていたのを思い出した。旦那曰く「それは海流でゴミがクロアチア側からイタリア側に流れていくから・・・」だとか・・・Σ(ﾟДﾟ)??!!! でも夜になると海岸を掃除している人もいたし、ちゃんと管理しているからじゃないかな～とも思う。でも、夕方になると海にぷかぷかゴミがどこからか流れてくるのを見るとやっぱり海流で南から北にゴミも運ばれてくるのかも・・・とも思ったり・・・(ー_ー；)

Look at this beautiful beautiful shining sea! :))) The water is a bit cold, but under the strong sun and high temperature outside, it felt really good♬ Although there are lots of people on the beach, the water is relatively clean. I remembered that my Italian friend said that "Croatian beach is much more beautiful than Italian beach although we share the same sea... it's very weird."My husband's answer to it was "because all the trashes are carried to Italy by ocean currents"Σ(ﾟДﾟ)??!!! But, I saw people cleaning the beach, so I think Croatian beaches are clean because people take care of them. On the other hand, when it gets afternoon, there were some trashes floating on the sea, so maybe as my husband says, the current brings trashes from the South to the North... :S Generally, people say if you look for a beach, find one located South of a big city and avoid North of it.

リゾート気分満点の葦（？）のパラソルの下で強い太陽をしのぎつつ、真っ青な空と青い海を堪能♪　ちなみに、このパラソルは一日８０Kn（現金のみ）。人気なので朝早くに行くか、前日に予約することをお勧めします。

There are some reed parasols on the beach and they added more of "resort atmosphere" to Baška. The price to rent the parasol is 80Kn per day (cash only). They were always occupied, so if you want to get one for you, then you should go to the beach early in the morning or book one a day before. We were lucky to get a parasol for us and enjoyed the blue sky and blue sea under the parasol :)

周りを見渡すとこんがり日焼けした人ばかり。肌の白い人を見ると「あ、ここに着いたばかりなんだ」とすぐに分かる。きっとバシュカに何日も滞在してがんばって日焼けするんだろうな～なんて想像できる。私はというと、シミになるのが嫌だから日焼けはしたくない方なんだけれど、周りを見ているとついつい「ちょっとくらいいいかな～」なんて思ってしまう。でもちょっとどころか、一日ビーチにいたら日焼け止めを塗っていたにも関わらず、ばっちり日焼けしました(>_<)

People are so much tanned and I felt so out of place because my skin was so pale that time... In Japan, especially young women don't want to get tanned and getting tanned is not considered as cool like in Western countries. Historically, tanned people were usually farmers or people who work outside, meaning not wealthy people. Wealthy people in old Japan stayed at home and had pale skin. So, I think still this kind of thinking remains and "not tanned" or light tone skin is considered to be more beautiful than tanned skin. So, in Japan, you will see many women holding a sunshade and maybe wearing long gloves in summer!

ちなみにクルク島にはアパートメントホテルやソベが何か所かあるのですが、長期滞在でないと貸してくれないところが大半。１泊などショートステイならば事前にホテル予約をしておいた方が絶対に安心（ウェブサイトはこちら）。

それにしてもきれな海♡せっかくクロアチアまで来たら、アドリア海でココロをチャージして帰るのもいいかも✿

In krk Island, there are many apartment hotels and sobe (private rooms). But, most of the owners are reluctant to rent one unless you stay there long (like 5 nights, a week). Finding an apartment hotel or sobe just for one night was very very difficult near Baška. So, if you plan to stay for a short time, definitely better to book a hotel or apartment hotel before you go (website).

Anyway, I really really love Croatian beaches and More♡ I was so soothed and healed by this clear blue sky and water. We recharged our batteries and went back to the city (Zagreb) :)

Recharge yourself at the beautiful Adriatic Sea of Croatia!!! ;)

ザグレブっ子の夏の夜の過ごし方 Summer Night Out on Stross

９月に入って気温もぐっと下がって秋の陽気のザグレブですが、地元ザグレブっ子の夏の夜の楽しみシュトロス(Stross)を語らずに夏は終えません。夏の間のザグレブっ子の合言葉と言えば「じゃぁ、シュトロスに××時に！」っといった感じ。そんな風にザグレブっ子に愛される「シュトロス」はロトルシャチャク塔の下に東西に延びるStrossmayerという通り、ケーブルカーの出入り口の西側に夏の間出現します。

Unlike in the title of this article, it's already autumn in Zagreb and getting colder and colder every day. No more summer clothes... so sad :S Anyway, I should mention about how Zagrepčani (local Zagreb people) enjoy their summer night on Stross! During summer, when they meet friends, they say "Let's meet at ××pm on Stross!!". So you see how much Zagrepčani love Stross :) "Stross", pronounced as "shtros", is the West part of street called "Strossmayer" extending East and West in front of Lotrščak Tower.


シュトロスは５月２９日から９月２日まで開かれるサマーフェスティバルです。この期間中、毎晩７時、８時ごろからバンドの生演奏が聞けます。ライブミュージックは、ポップ、ロック、オールディーズ、ケルト音楽、ジャズ、ラテンと多岐に渡っていて、しかも毎晩違ったバンドが演奏するので頻繁に通っても飽きることはありません。

個人的にはケルト・ナイトとオールディーズが良かった！ケルト・ナイトの時は輪になって踊っている人もいたり、笑い声の絶えない楽しい夏の夜でした♪

ちなみに、オープンスペースなので入場料とかはありません。

Stross is a kind of a Summer Festival held from 29 May to 2 September. Every night different bands play music raging from pop music, rock, oldies, jazz to Celtic music around 7-8pm (end at 11:00pm). So, each night different live music is played, and you wouldn't get bored at all even if you visit Stross every night :) And it's ope-air music concert, so there is no entry charge for Stross.

Personally, I really liked the bands who played Celtic music and Oldies. On the Celtic music Night, some people started dancing in a circle to the music. It was such a great night, people were chatting, laughing, enjoying the music... :)

Actually, this reminds me a bit of "beer garden" in Japan. In Japan, many beer gardens open during summer to provide open-air space to enjoy cold beer and other drinks in the hot and steamy summer. Usually people go to the beer garden with colleagues after work or friends. So, you will see so many men in suit. Most of the beer gardens are found on the roof terrace of the buildings. But there are some interesting options, such as beer garden on a train/tram and on a boat :)

なんだかとってもエキゾチックな木の彫り物が飾ってありました。聞くところによるとシュトロスはパリのモンマルトルをまねて始まったそう。モンマルトルには未だ行ったことがないので、どの辺が似ているのか今一分からないけれど、パリの人々のように音楽と芸術の夜を楽しもうっ！っていうことなのかな???　

シュトロスには焼きトウモロコシやらポップコーンの屋台、ビールなどの飲み物を売っている屋台があります。でもほとんどの人はワインなど飲み物持参で来る人が多いです(^ ^;) 本当に地元の人が夜集まって、ライブミュージックを聞きながらおしゃべりを楽しむ場、っていう感じ。

Back to Stross... I found exotic wooden carvings hanging on trees. I've heard that the summer festival on Stross was inspired by Montmartre of Paris. I've never been to Montmartre, so I can't really compared those two, but I guess Stross started in the spirit of enjoying music and art like Parisians.

There are some stands selling grilled corn, popcorn, beer and other drink, painting, artistic goods and so on. But, many Zagrepčani bring their own drink and food to Stross. So, Stross is an open-air where people gather to see their friends, enjoy chatting and drinking with nice live music.

座る場所も少ないのでほとんどが立ち飲み＆立ち話です。「席を確保したかったら６時くらいに来ないとね」、とザグレブの友人が話しているように、とっても混み合います。地元のザグレブっ子ばっかりなので、ちょっと"アウェイ"な感じもしますが、機会があったらザグレブっ子の愛するシュトロスでザグレブの夏の夜を楽しんでみてください！詳細なプログラムは公式ウェブサイト（こちら）にあります。あれ？９月２日までってあったのに、９月２２日までバンド演奏のスケジュールが・・・。延長になったのかな???まぁ、そういう適当なところがクロアチアっぽい（笑）

There aren't so many chairs and benches to sit down on Stross, so most of people just stand to drink and chat. My local friend told me that if I want to reserve a table and bench, when I should come to Stross by 6pm. And when it's on Friday or Saturday, Stross gets really really crowded! I hardly see any foreigners there, but if you have time, visit Stross and enjoy summer in Zagreb with Zagrepčani! The detailed program of Stross Summer Festival can be found on their official website (here). Oh? I just found that still some band play music until 22 September, although the official website says that Stross opens until 2 September. Maybe they extended the schedule :) Sometimes, things doesn't go on schedule in Croatia. I think Croatian people are very flexible.